An abundance has been written in the press just a while ago about the bingo industry being hurt as a consequence of the smoking ban in the United Kingdom. Things have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive aid to help keep the industry afloat. However does the net variation of this traditional game present a salvation, or will it not compare to its real life kin?
Bingo is an age old game generally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game lately had undergone a recent return in appeal with younger members of society opting to visit the bingo halls instead of the bars on a Saturday night. This is all about to be destroyed with the enforcement of the anti smoking law all over UK.
Players will no longer be able to smoke whilst marking numbers. From the summer of ‘07 every public place will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most favorite places where folks like to smoke.
The results of the anti smoking law can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already barred in the bingo parlors. Players have dropped and the business is beyond a doubt fighting for its life. But where have the players gone? Surely they haven’t abandoned this age old game?
The answer is on the web. Players realize that they can gamble on bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a beverage and cig and still have a chance at monstrous jackpots. This is a recent development and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the anti cigarette law.
Of course wagering on on the internet can never replace the communal aspect of heading over to the bingo parlor, but for a group of players the law has left a number of bingo players with no option.